Monthly Habit: March – Getting dressed to shoes

March is here, and you know what that means — it’s time to practice a new habit. This month, we are going to work on getting dressed to shoes. This is such an important part of our day. If we aren’t dressed to shoes, we can’t face whatever our day might throw at us! Here’s some great information from FlyLady to help get us started.

With shoes on those feet of yours, your mind says, “Okay, it’s time to go to work.” – FlyLady

Getting dressed to shoes is a very important component of the FlyLady system. You can read about why FlyLady thinks getting dressed to shoes is so important in her first book, Sink Reflections. You can purchase your own copy of Sink Reflections from The FLYShop!

Here are the habits we have covered so far this year. Remember to reinforce these habits while completing your new one:

Since starting this group, I have continually harped on putting your shoes on your feet each morning. I want you to do this and you are not the exception to the rule. Here is why. Several years ago I worked for a direct sales cosmetics company. One main rule for that company was that you could not make a single phone call in the morning unless you were totally dressed, and I mean really dressed! All the way to dress shoes. The reason behind this duty was that you act different when you have clothes and shoes on. You are more professional. The customer can tell when you don’t feel good about the way you look. Even when you think you do. So if getting dressed makes that big of an impression on someone that can’t even see you, then what is going to happen to those that can see you. Mainly yourself. Putting shoes on your feet that lace up are better than slip-ons or sandals, because they are harder to take off. Instead of kicking your shoes off for a quick snooze on the couch, you actually have to go to a bit more trouble. Maybe in that short instant you will realize that there is something more that you can do. With shoes on those feet of yours, your mind says “OK”, it’s time to go to work. You have no excuse for not taking the trash out or putting that box of give-away stuff into the car. You are literally ready for anything. Believe me, when you get that call from school that your child needs you, or that dear friend calls up and says that she needs to talk “can we have lunch?” you are ready! Including shoes.

I see this problem more in the SAHM (Stay At Home Moms) because often they don’t have to leave the house and it is not necessary to get dressed every morning. Only their children are going to see them. I want you to listen very close. You have the most important job of all, raising productive adults. NOW, do you want your children to remember that Mom didn’t get dressed until it was time for Dad to get home? Or do you want your children to have to answer the door because you are still in your gown tail and bathrobe? If you would look at your day just like the Payroll SHE and realize that the jobs around the house will take as long as you let it (all day in most cases because you allow it) and get off your “Franny” and get dressed all the way to shoes. Because it is time to go to work.

There is one other great benefit to wearing shoes. Two summers ago was the first time I successfully did this for more than a week or two. It was the first summer time I didn’t have cracked and bleeding heels. Many rewards are waiting. Now put those shoes on. I don’t want to hear, “Well I don’t wear shoes in my house”. Well you do now, sister! Buy or clean up a pair just for that reason. It’s not going to be that you track in the dirt anyway. You are still boss and you can require your children to remove their shoes. What is the problem here? In most homes you have had trouble even finding the floor, much less keeping the carpet clean. Do you even know what color it is supposed to be? And when you vacuum once or twice a week the dirt goes away. Teach your children to not track in stuff. Have a mat outside the door for them to remove unwanted dirt and mud. I bet you have 10 pairs of shoes at the door right now. What does that do to your vacuuming schedule? Make the kids take their shoes outside to clean them up and then take the shoes to their rooms. If they had to pay for those expensive tennis shoes they would take better care of them.

- FlyLady

Testimonial: Shoes Protect the Feet

Dear FlyLady,

I am a baby fly, just started a few weeks ago. I admit I came to your site with a little bit of attitude; I’d been working since the beginning of the year to get my home into shape, and while I was doing fairly well, it didn’t seem like it was enough. My house was clean (mostly) every day, but it always took me between five and eight HOURS worth of work every single day. And if I missed a day, I’d be hyper busy for the next two days trying to get caught back up.

Not how I wanted to be spending my time.

So, I came to FlyLady looking for tips. How could I cut down these chores so that everything would be done, neat, clean, put away, and NOT spending all day doing it?

Shine my sink? That’s easy!

Get up and get dressed every morning? What? Huh? How the heck is wearing shoes around the house going to help me get cleaned up? (As a note, I hate wearing shoes. Absolutely. HATE IT. Previous to two weeks ago, I took my shoes off the instant I got in the house, and often put off outdoor tasks because I didn’t want to put the shoes ON.)

Your comments about the magic pill were spot on. I came here looking for a magic pill, and by golly, I needed to take it. What can it hurt, I thought. I’ll just try it for a few weeks and see how things go.

I was cleaning my desk today – a task I’ve put off again and again for months now, and there used to be a scary-thick layer of dust on the top shelf of my desk because dusting it off involved moving a veritable fleet of tiny plastic ships, pictures, knickknacks, flower pots, stuffed animals, etc etc. (Yes, many of those things went right back onto the top of the desk, but they make me happy and I love them.)

I love them MORE when they’re clean! – and sorting through a box of office supplies. How many rolls of tape does one person need? (Not six!) How many tubes of chapstick? (Not NINE, all half used and some of them squashed into their caps! Yuck!) I went to sit the box down on the top of my desk and tipped it out by accident, spilling about 300 thumbtacks all over the floor.

If I hadn’t been wearing my shoes, who knows how many of those I would have stepped on, trying to get clear of the mess!